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Call for Entries: McLaren Wall-to-Wall

Animation pioneer Norman McLaren would have celebrated his 100th birthday on April 11, 2014. McLaren’s influence, with his focus on tactility, geometry, and an undeniable pinch of futurism, is still felt today on current technologies and trends in animation, in particular in the turn to digital creation in recent years. What would today’s artists and creators say if they could engage with McLaren himself, personally, creatively, and philosophically? What would a dialogue between past and present film aesthetics and technologies look like?

Here’s your chance to find out.

Call for Entries: McLaren Wall-to-Wall

The NFB is partnering with Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal to launch McLaren Wall-to-Wall, a worldwide creative competition for artists, designers, and visionaries of all stripes, and the finalists will have the chance to share in a total of $40,000 of prize money ($25,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of three runners-up). Four iconic locations around Montreal—UQAM’s Centre de Design, the UQAM bell tower, Place de la paix, and the Cégep du vieux Montréal—will act as canvases for the winning artists’ video works, which will be projected onto the buildings’ façades from April 11 to June 1, 2014.

Think you’ve got what it takes?

Each eligible entry must incorporate a designated McLaren film into its finished product, ultimately creating a fruitful productive collaboration between the ghost of a legend and the talent of tomorrow (the images above combine stills from designated McLaren films with the locations on which the resulting videos will be projected). Need some inspiration to get started? You can watch all four designated McLaren films on our website: Neighbours (1952), Begone Dull Care(1949), Synchromy (1971), and Spheres (1969). (Begone Dull Care is a personal favourite of mine, and I can’t recommend it highly enough).

You better start working as hard as Mr. McLaren is here:

If you’re sufficiently inspired by the films and the architecture, make sure you read the competition rules carefully. Head on over here to download the official call for entries, which includes regulations, eligibility, and important dates. The deadline to register for this competition is 12:00 noon EST on February 20, 2014, and the deadline for submitting the final proposal is 12:00 noon EST on March 6, 2014, so you better get crackin’. We can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with!

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